Sports Notes

While most of the US is still locked in the deep freeze it is a 'balmy' 43 degrees here in North Texas this morning.  However these 3 notes from the world of sports should at least warm your heart if not your body!  First up is the University of Miami, known as The U, who has released an excellent You Can Play video that includes members of all the school's varsity sports, including head football coach Al Golden, women's basketball coach Katie Meier and men's basketball coach Jim Larranaga. The video features athletes of various ethnicities and nationalities with the clever tagline, "If U can play, U can play."

Down in Brazil, inspired by Olympian Tom Daley, that country's top diver Ian Matos has come out as Gay.  Matos, born in Bethlehem, PA but now living in Rio de Janiero was advised by a friend to stay closeted until after the 2016 Rio Olympics.   However he said "the pressure of hiding boyfriends, avoiding gay parties and not being himself proved too much."  Matos also said he hoped that his coming out would not impact his diving or his sponsorship potential.

While I am admittedly not a fan of the New York Football Giants or their wide receiver Victor Cruz, I must commend them both for some recent off the field activity.  As part of the Characters Unite partnership between the NFL and the USA Network, Cruz recently hosted Joey Kemmerling on a tour of the Giants Met Life Stadium Locker Room.  Kemmerling, who came out at age 13 in middle school, was so badly bullied that he quit football and considered suicide.  Thankfully Kemmerling overcame his obstacles going on to form a youth led anti-bullying organization, is active in GLSEN and has spoken to students, educators and members of Congress about bullying.  Cruz who was also bullied as a youth because he was half Puerto Rican and half African American swapped stories with Kemmerling while touring the Giants facilities.  This was especially meaningful to Kemmerling as some of the most relentless bullying he experienced came from athletes in the locker room.  Cruz provided both the opportunity for closure as well as inspiration to Kemmerling in the ongoing process of overcoming the effects of bullying.  Well done Victor Cruz and the Giants. 

Your Midweek Musical Moment features Volume 1 of the Bassoon Concerti of Antonio Vivaldi as recorded by The English Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Philip Ledger and featuring Daniel Smith as the Bassoon Soloist.  Included in this play list are Concerti in C major RV 467; F major, RV 491; A minor, RV 500;  A minor, RV 499; C major, RV 466; F major, RV 486; C major, RV 474 and  F major, RV 487.

Then to remind you that is is still warm somewhere in the world, and that there will be hunks and hotties cavorting about the pools, beaches and baths there is this week's edition of Wet Wednesday to inspire you on your slow scroll down the page.  Thanks for sharing your day with me, see you again soon.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

The Internet, Tom Daley, Franz Liszt and Wet Wednesday

Will and I were not alone in our misery over the Internet outage we were experiencing yesterday.  It seems someone somehow damaged or broke one of the main fiber optic cables causing widespread outages in Dallas, Fort Worth and Granbury.  They have resolved the issue apparently as this morning everything seems to be working fine.  The good news about the whole situation is the $40 credit off our next bill to compensate for the difficulties we experienced.  That went a long way towards soothing any ruffled feathers due to the outage.  

In an update on Tom Daley's announcement of his relationship with a guy I told you about yesterday, the British tabloid The Sun and E! News are both reporting that the guy dating British diver Tom Daley is none other than Milk screenwriter Dustin Lance Black.  If such be the case, I am most envious of Mr Black.  What I would not give to be the one exploring the mysteries to be found while making love to the adorable and highly photogenic young Tom Daley.  I am sure there are many guys out there having a wet dream fantasy just thinking about what we would enjoy if we were to be in Dustin's place.    There is some little consternation among some in regards to the May/December aspect of the pairing of Tom with Dustin as Dustin is 20 years senior to Tom.  I do not find this to be anything unusual as both older men and older women often find love in someone much younger than themselves.  I wish them all the happiness that can be found in their loving relationship.

Your Midweek Musical Moment features a 'best of' compilation of the Music of Franz Liszt as performed and recorded by Melhores Musicas Classicas.  Included in the play list are Hungarian Rhapsody (Héroïde-élégiaque), for piano No. 5 in E minor, Piano Concerto No. 2, for piano & orchestra in A major, S. 125 (LW H6), Orpheus, symphonic poem for orchestra, S. 98 (LW G9) and Les Préludes, symphonic poem for orchestra, S. 97 (LW G3).  

Finally for today is a superb selection of sultry studs splashing about the pools, beaches and baths of the world in this week's edition of Wet Wednesday.  Thanks for sharing part of your day with me, see you again soon.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!